Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Sierra Gamekings vs Hornady Interlocks

How do there compare to each other in terms of on game terminal performance? (penetration, weight retention, width of expansion, accuracy, etc.)

Thanks

I would take a Hornady interlock over a sierra any day for bullet integrity. Sierras for me have proven to be accurate but very "soft" for big game use. I have used Hornady from the 6mm to the 458's and never had a problem with accuracy or bullet integrity.

Herschel, just pick one. Both are extremely good bullets. Used in an appropriate cartridge and landed in the right place on an animal, and either one will punch your tag and fill your freezer. Honest.

Fretting because a sample of one expands .0037" more or penetrates 1.34" less and retains .013% more is an idiot's game.

I'd prefer the Hornady over the Sierra , and Speer over either of them !

Strange. I never saw anything attractive in any Speer bullet. They never really offered anything over any other maker.

I agree with Fotis insofar as the Sierras are a bit too soft when driven fast (especially when driven fast and at close range). YMMV.

rocky has way more experience than i do but he is insightful;
dead is dead

+1

I've got a lot of yellow and green boxes around, but more are red. Hornadys just work for me, accuracy-wise as well as terminally. I've killed lots of varmints and paper w/ Sierras but never big game, however I doubt they'd not perform if you match the bullet to the use/cartridge and stick it where it belongs.

I agree 100% with Fotis, Hornady over Sierra for anything bigger than coyotes all day, every day.

JEff

Very well said. One thing about the sierra's is use a heavy for caliber bullet and you won't have a problem with them. I use the 250 gr. sierra gameking in my 338 win mag and so does just about every other guy around here when it comes time for elk season. The 250's just plain work for this application. I use hornady's for everything else. I know I could step down to a 225 interlock for elk too and not have any problems whatsoever, but the sierras just shoot so good they are hard not to want to use

I've killed moose with :

-190 BTSP IL in .308; twice
-165 HP GK in .308
-250 SP GK in .338, twice
-250 IL in .358
-250 IL in .338

along with with various Speer, Nosler, Barnes, Swift, and Woodleigh bullets.

I'm not sure what the fuss is. Use a proper weight for the caliber and design, and poke it in the right place and it's simply work from there on out.

I don't know if strange is the correct word . We dislike Sierras on big game for the same reason . I have taken way more game with Speer bullets than any other , with no failures to preform and remain intact . You evidently have had like experience with Hornady . I find the Hornadys a tad on the hard side for my uses (whitetail) and I don't like to look at a cannelure that isn't being used . As the old saying goes " different strokes for different folks " . Not rocket science !

Sierra is my "go to" manufacture when looking for accurate over the counter bullets. I've had good and great experiences with all brands but when I'm testing a new rifle's accuracy potential I always choose a green box 1st.

Both tend to kill very well and both tend to be incredibly accurate. If I had to use one brand and or another for the rest of my life I could take on the world with no worries

Dober

Hornady is my favorite probably because that is what I started loading and they at least have some means to keep core. However, I have used mostly lighter-mid weight 30, 7mm, and .270 in both types on deer sized game and have not really been able to tell the difference. Both bullets are fast expanders, capable to break shoulders, and almost always exit using these calibers (both 06 & magnum cases) on this class of game. Maybe on larger game, the Hornday would show up better with it's interlock design.

Lou

Early I tried Hornady's, Sierra's and Speer. Sierra's were to soft. They would kill but don't even get near anything you might want to eat.

Speer Hot Core's is what I would use if I didn't use Hornady's. In fact the only reason I chose Hornady over Speer is they were a bit more accurate back then. Back then Hornady's were called "Spire Points" and shooting them into wet paper and the Hot core and Sierra into the same stuff convinced me that Sierra was definately out but I loved their varmit bullet's and Match Kings.

In my little test I shot a .284 154gr Hornady and a what, as I recall, a .308 165gr Speer Hot Core. Both penetrated the same depth or nearly, I didn't measure but eyeballed it. Both retained 86% of their weight at 100 yds. The Hornady's core was loose in the jacket but it was intact. The Speer Hot Core retained the same weight and the core was not loose in the jacket. That was impressive to me. But in all my rifles except one, a 7mm Rem Mag, the Hornady bullet out shot the Speer. This was at a point in my life where I actually though accuracy was everything. So I still used Speer's in my 7mm Mag and Hornady in everything else. Varmit bullet's then were 50gr Hornady SX's and Sierra 50gr match.

Then Vernon Speer sold out to Omark and customer service went to hell. I tried a few Speer's after that but not enthustactly. Then Speer started making hunting bullet's other than Hot Core's. I did try a few but was not impressed.

I have tried partitions but have never shot one at game. Never had a partition shoot all that well. I did try some 125gr partitions in my 6.5x06 but they got blown away by 129gr Hornady's and 140gr Hornady's.

I do sometime's wish that Vernon Speer was still around running things, he was a real person! And I would call his origional Hot Core bullet a very inexpensive premium bullet, maybe the origional Accu Bond. They worked.

Well I got side trackede. I do have a box of 140gr .264 Sierra Game King bullet's a friend gave me and I did load them up in my 6.5x55. I'n going to keek them there and see what happens with a hog. They shoot very well, as I suspected they would. But if they turn a hog into a sack of mush, I'm not gonna give them another chance.

+1

Remember, shot placement is more important.

I agree with the above post. Put it in the boiler room and it is game over with any hunting weight bullet of the proper caliber for the game being pursued. T.S.

I tend to favor the Sierras for no other reason than I have more (and favorable) experience with them. But, honestly, with the same weight bullet pushed at the same velocity, I doubt you could ever tell the difference in performance on game. I'd pick the one that was most accurate in my gun and not worry about it.

Throw my hat into their ring....